IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v460y2009i7255d10.1038_nature08215.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resonant stripping as the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies

Author

Listed:
  • Elena D'Onghia

    (Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich
    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 51, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

  • Gurtina Besla

    (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 51, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

  • Thomas J. Cox

    (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 51, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

  • Lars Hernquist

    (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 51, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

Abstract

Galaxies stripped for action A new theory for the formation of dwarf spheroidal galaxies identifies encounters between dwarf disk galaxies and somewhat larger dwarfs as the likely source. Dwarf spheroids are dark-matter-dominated low luminosity galaxies in the nearby Universe and their origin is one of the outstanding puzzles of how galaxies form. Previous models are relevant only to dwarf spheroidals orbiting close to a giant galaxy like the Milky Way or Andromeda, and are ruled out as general theories because of the existence of dwarfs in the outskirts of the Local Group. In the new model simulations, encounters between dwarf galaxies in small groups excite a 'resonant stripping' process that transforms them into dwarf spheroidals before they are accreted by systems like the Milky Way. Within this framework, dwarf spheroidals should form and interact in pairs or small groups, leaving detectable long stellar streams and tails.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena D'Onghia & Gurtina Besla & Thomas J. Cox & Lars Hernquist, 2009. "Resonant stripping as the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies," Nature, Nature, vol. 460(7255), pages 605-607, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:460:y:2009:i:7255:d:10.1038_nature08215
    DOI: 10.1038/nature08215
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08215
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/nature08215?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:460:y:2009:i:7255:d:10.1038_nature08215. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.